A Show of Respect, 10 images of children affected by war, is a signature body of work from Pender Harbour artist Helen Broadfoot.
The journey began in 2004 when Broadfoot contacted the iconic linguist and activist Noam Chomsky in frustration to ask what she could do to shed light on the lies being told the American public about the war, and describing herself as "a little Canadian woman artist of no consequence." Chomsky took the time to write back, encouraging her to find her own path. "There is no such thing as a little person of no consequence," he told her. Inspired, she took a year to paint 10 large oil paintings, and the result was A Show of Respect, also called the War Child series. The paintings were first shown at the Harbour Gallery near her home.
The show is informative and touching. Each image captures a child's tragedy: the displaced children of Africa living in refugee camps, a girl of Ireland who has lost her brother in the troubles, a wounded baby in Chechnya and children who live in squalour and slavery. Each is accompanied by a written text in the language of the child and also an appropriate article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The War Child series has toured to Vancouver's Liu Institute for Global Issues in an exhibit sponsored by Doctors Without Borders and has recently opened in Australia produced by a group, Art for a Cause, and sponsored by the Foster Parents Plan. The giclée prints were shown in Melbourne in January and are now in Adelaide. The show's organizer writes that the timing is perfect because that area has just become the first state in Australia to adopt a charter of human rights, effective this year.
Despite these forays off the Coast, the exhibition has rarely been seen in Sechelt except on a few special occasions. This Tuesday, March 4, it opens at the La Cabana Gallery on Cowrie Street, with a reception from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the public can meet the artist. In an effort to find a broader audience for A Show of Respect, Broadfoot has submitted to galleries in other countries. But submissions take time: "I just want to paint," says the prolific, creative artist, who is now at work on a new series of portraits inspired by classical music. She describes the difficulty in finding commercial galleries to show works that are not to be sold. It must be a public gallery or one that supports her mission, like La Cabana.
"When you show paintings alone, it's not as effective as working with other sponsoring organizations," she says. For this show, she will sell prints and cards for her partnering organization, Grandmothers and Grandothers, who raise funds for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
"I'm not making money at it for myself," she says. "But then, money is not everything." There's no doubt the show stirs interest. Last spring, she received a letter from a teacher in Dalton, Georgia, who had heard about her work and asked for a print of Only a Child - depicting a girl sold into prostitution. The teacher's choice was motivated by her mostly Latino students and the accompanying UDHR Article written in Spanish. The translation reads: "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment."
The teacher used this theme while talking to high school kids about peace and linked the lesson to one on anger, a powerful presentation involving a Vietnam veteran.
"My students have been so amazed with your talents," she wrote to Broadfoot. "I have asked them to individually write to you." And they did - their comments are compiled on the artist's website www.oilpaintingforpeace.com. The interaction was joyful, and Broadfoot still receives satisfying hits on her website from Georgia. She also receives chilling hits on the website - from the U.S. military. But surprisingly, Broadfoot has never considered herself an activist, just a person who has found a creative way to convey her message through her art.
The La Cabana Gallery show will also feature other work by Broadfoot and one of the new portraits inspired by classical music. It runs until March 15.
